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Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Read by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date. Check the sources, and tell us if you spot a mistake. What this site can't tell you
Read by hand. We read Bonfield's own documents for this site in October 2026; the Sources page lists which ones. The comparisons with other places still come from the Province's yearly reports.

The money · 2025

How Bonfield's money works

A town is a bit like a household. Money comes in (mostly taxes and grants), and money goes out to pay for services like roads, fire trucks and the arena. Here is what that looked like in 2025, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2025 and not this year? A budget is a plan. These figures are what actually happened, checked by an auditor and reported to Ontario.

Money in: $5.9M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

Bonfield revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$4.1M69%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$779K13%
  • Grants for specific projects$600K10%
  • Licences and rent$183K3%
  • Everything else$283K5%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$4,067,63468.8%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$779,20013.2%
Grants for specific projects$600,03910.1%
Licences and rent$183,0453.1%
Everything else$283,1074.8%
Total$5,913,025100%

What each source means

Property taxes
What home and business owners pay each year, based on what their property is worth.
Money from Ontario (no strings)
A yearly grant from the Province that the town can spend on anything. Small rural towns get more.
Grants for specific projects
Money from Ontario or Canada that must be spent on a certain thing, often a road or building.
Licences and rent
Dog tags, licences, and rent from town-owned property.

Money out: $5.0M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $599K of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Bonfield spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$1.0M21%
  • Police, fire and safety$746K15%
  • Roads and snow$1.8M36%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$137K3%
  • Health$227K5%
  • Social services$873K17%
  • Parks, arena and library$147K3%
  • Planning and business$32,4241%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,045,89320.9%
Police, fire and safety$746,48214.9%
Roads and snow$1,787,80535.8%
Water, sewers and garbage$137,1102.7%
Health$227,3474.5%
Social services$872,60917.5%
Parks, arena and library$147,4933.0%
Planning and business$32,4240.6%
Total$4,997,163100%

Roads and snow

$1.8M

Fixing and paving roads, bridges and culverts, ploughing snow, and street lights.

+86% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Paved roads$1.3M+73%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  2. Gravel roads$244K+262%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  3. Snow ploughing$155K+38%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  4. Roadsides and signs$67,386+134%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  5. Bridges and culverts$26,097

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  6. Street lights$10,761

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Paved roads$1,283,769+72.8%
Gravel roads$244,461+262.2%
Snow ploughing$155,331+38.0%
Roadsides and signs$67,386+134.2%
Bridges and culverts$26,097–
Street lights$10,761–

Running the town office

$1.0M

Council, managers, the clerk, accounting, computers, insurance and the town hall itself. Every town needs some of this, but it does not fix a road or put out a fire.

+34% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$976K+46%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$70,247−36%

    Pay and expenses for the mayor and councillors, and council meetings.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$975,646+45.6%
Council$70,247−36.1%

Social services

$873K

Help for people and families who need it, and child care.

+48% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$625K+27%

    Help for people with very low income.

  2. Seniors$138K+42%

    Long-term care and seniors programs.

  3. Other social$110K

    Other social services.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$624,727+26.7%
Seniors$138,001+42.2%
Other social$109,881–

Police, fire and safety

$746K

Paying for police, the fire department, building inspectors and by-law officers.

+11% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$349K−1%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$228K+6%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$68,732+36%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. Emergency planning$64,440

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

  5. Conservation authority$33,143+18%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  6. By-law and animal control$3,309

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$348,749−0.5%
Fire department$228,109+5.6%
Building permits$68,732+36.4%
Emergency planning$64,440–
Conservation authority$33,143+17.6%
By-law and animal control$3,309–

Health

$227K

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+11% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Public health$227K+12%

    Health inspections and programs.

  2. Cemeteries$148

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public health$227,199+12.2%
Cemeteries$148–

Parks, arena and library

$147K

Parks, the arena, the pool, sports fields, programs and the library.

+8% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Library$83,388+21%

    The public library.

  2. Programs$34,472+3%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  3. Parks$26,433+3%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  4. Arena and buildings$3,200

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Library$83,388+20.6%
Programs$34,472+3.0%
Parks$26,433+2.8%
Arena and buildings$3,200–

Water, sewers and garbage

$137K

Clean tap water, the sewer system, garbage pickup, the dump and recycling.

+2% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. The dump (landfill)$104K+97%

    Running the landfill, and saving up to close it safely one day.

  2. Recycling$33,217

    Recycling and composting.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
The dump (landfill)$103,893+96.5%
Recycling$33,217–

Planning and business

$32,424

Deciding what can be built where, and trying to bring businesses and visitors to town.

+151% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$32,424

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$32,424–

What the money bought

The same 2025 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Staff pay and benefits$1.6M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$1.6M

    Gravel, salt, fuel, electricity, heating, office supplies and repairs.

  3. Money given to others$876K

    Grants and payments to other groups, like the conservation authority.

  4. Outside companies$680K

    Work the town pays other companies to do, like policing, paving or consultants.

  5. Rent and money costs$184K

    Renting equipment or space, bank fees, and some accounting costs.

  6. Interest on loans$92,971

    The extra money paid to lenders for money the town borrowed.

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$1,610,859
Supplies and utilities$1,552,620
Money given to others$876,172
Outside companies$680,198
Rent and money costs$184,343
Interest on loans$92,971

Staff

People on the town's payroll at the end of each year, as reported to the Province.

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20191382
20201382
20211191
2022990
20231190
20241180
20251190

How things have changed since 2019

Money in compared with day-to-day spending, each year. When the orange line is above the blue one, the town spent more than it took in and made up the difference from savings or loans. Grants for big projects arrive in some years and not others, which makes "money in" jump around.

Money in and day-to-day spending by year
$5.9M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$4.2M$3.5M
2020$4.0M$3.7M
2021$4.3M$3.9M
2022$5.7M$4.2M
2023$5.6M$4.1M
2024$5.4M$4.5M
2025$5.9M$5.0M

Town property tax

Up 48% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$4.1M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$2.7M
2020$2.8M
2021$3.0M
2022$3.2M
2023$3.6M
2024$3.9M
2025$4.1M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$2.8M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$1.2M
2020$1.6M
2021$1.6M
2022$1.8M
2023$1.6M
2024$2.5M
2025$2.8M

What the town owes

Long-term loans plus short-term (temporary) loans at year end.

Debt by year
$4.5M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$2.2M$0
2020$2.0M$0
2021$1.9M$0
2022$1.7M$0
2023$2.1M$0
2024$1.9M$0
2025$4.5M$0

Building new things

Spending on new or rebuilt roads, pipes, buildings and equipment, compared with how fast existing ones wear out.

Capital spending and wear by year
$737K
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$576K$412K
2020$15,573$381K
2021$240K$354K
2022$1.4M$333K
2023$1.4M$437K
2024$660K$505K
2025$737K$599K

Source: Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), Schedules 10, 40, 51, 60, 70, 74 and 80 (archived copy). Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Retrieved 2026-10-01. Figures are what the municipality reported to the Province for each year, prepared on the same basis as its audited financial statements.